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Paynesville Press - December 28, 2005

Township Board reviews plan to add police officer

By Michael Jacobson

The Paynesville Township Board of Supervisors took the following actions at their meeting on Monday, Dec. 19.

*The board heard a report from Paynesville Police Chief Kent Kortlever about the planned addition of a full-time officer to the police force, beginning July 1, 2006. One big advantage of the extra officer would be 24-hour coverage seven days a week for the city of Paynesville and Paynesville Township. The cost to the township for the six months of additional coverage in 2006 would be around $2,500, and a full year after that around $5,800. No decision was made by the board.

*The board approved an agreement with Eden Lake Township for maintenance on Cyrilla Beach Road and 253rd Avenue. The agreement calls for the two boards to agree on repairs needed and to split the costs 50/50. The new agreement also has no expiration date but can be cancelled by either party upon 30 days notice. The agreement extends the long-time policy between the two townships on these joint roads, though the agreement had lapsed.

*The board received a report that the reimbursement received from the city of Paynesville through the orderly annexation of Project 55, WilGlo Acres, the Michaelis-Olmscheid Plat, and Ampe Morningside Plat Two included tax money for the school and county, in addition to the township tax. (Under the agreement, the city pays a portion of the taxes back to the township following annexation.) The overreimbursement by the city amounts to over $22,000 and will be paid back over several years.

*The board accepted the road in the Koronis Heights Addition in Section 21 of the township, on the condition of the road passing the township specification test. The township requires a seven-ton road, with six inches of gravel and three inches of asphalt.

*The board held a public hearing to consider a request to change the zoning on land owned by Robert Meyer at the corner of Highway 23 and Co. Rd. 33 in Section 10. The current zoning is commercial, and Meyer asked to change the zoning to allow him to build a home on the property. The board voted to approve T-20 zoning for the parcel and will send the request to Stearns County for their approval.

*The board heard a report from Dan Binsfeld concerning the development of 121 acres of river shoreland owned by Dennis Spaulding and Earl Stang on the north side of the North Fork Crow River and west of WilGlo Acres.

Binsfeld is interested in using a cluster sewage treatment system for this new development. The homes on the 11 planned lots would use a common septic treatment system and drainfield located on a dedicated two-acre lot away from the river. No septic treatment would take place on individual lots, allowing lots to be smaller than the current minimum size (two acres) allowed by Paynesville Township.

Binsfeld received verbal approval from the board for the development and will proceed with the planning. The homes, cluster septic system, and a planned park will use about 35 of the 121 acres, with the balance of the land left as green space.

*The board set a public hearing to consider a request to accept the road in the Lordon Pond Addition for Monday, Feb. 13, at 8:30 p.m.

*The board voted to authorize township clerk Don Wiese to select election judges for the upcoming township election in March 2006.

*The board will not meet in January. Their next meeting is Monday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. In March, they will have a meeting on Monday, March 13, at 8 p.m., the annual meeting on Tuesday, March 14, at 8 p.m., and the organizational meeting on Thursday, March 16, at 8 p.m.



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